Gary Neville caused a stir when he claimed that Manchester United’s devastating trio of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez was better than Liverpool’s current threesome of Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Manchester United’s attacking force of the 2007/08 season decimated competition in a similar fashion to what Liverpool’s front men had done in their Champions League winning campaign.

There is little doubt over the supreme quality of each of the six players as individuals but who do the stats put in a favourable light?

Our men in the know Nathan Whelan (MUFC-affiliated) and Rob O’Halloran (LFC man) make a case for both parties to help shed some light on which combination really was the best..

Nathan Whelan: Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez (Manchester United)

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with teammates Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs during the Barclays FA Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford on January 12 2008. Pic: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

While the trio on Merseyside are without doubt among the most proficient attacking line-ups in Premier League history, they are not on the level of the United players.

Although the majority of footballing debates can come down to opinion, statistics don’t lie and the numbers side with the men from Manchester.

Attacking line-ups are judged solely on their abilities to score and create goals, which Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez did in abundance in 2007/08.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United in action during a First Team Training Session at Carrington Training Ground on May 15 2008 in Manchester, England. Pic: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

They scored a whopping 79 goals and notched 30 assists. To put that into context, the front-line scored 71.8% of United’s goals that year.

Fergie’s trio scored 57 Premier League goals between them, one more than Salah, Mane and Firmino managed in their best campaign in 2018/19.

United’s front three scored more goals than 14 of the 19 remaining teams in the league, which includes Everton, who finished fifth!

While goals and assists are vital, great teams are ultimately judged on the silverware they win.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United bites his winners medal following his team’s victory during the UEFA Champions League Final match between Manchester United and Chelsea. Pic: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

The Red Devils lifted both the Premier League and Champions League in the same season, while Liverpool did manage to win Europe’s elite competition, they failed to win both in the same season.

Speaking of European competition, Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez scored all but one of United’s Champions League knockout goals en route to beating Chelsea in Moscow.

Rob O’Halloran: Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)

Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino celebrate after the 3rd Liverpool goal scored by Mane during the Liverpool v Roma Champions League semi-final 1st leg at Anfield on April 24th 2018 in Liverpool. Pic: by Tom Jenkins

As the saying goes, form is temporary but class is permanent.

While Nathan’s argument does make it clear that United’s front trio endured the best individual campaign, Liverpool’s front three stand above their rivals when it comes to longevity.

Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo played together in 2007/08 but also in 2008/09 while Salah, Mane and Firmino linked up with great effect in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaigns.

In the Premier League Jurgen Klopp’s strikers scored 113 goals and amassed 44 assists for a total of 157 goal involvements.

Although Nathan correctly points out the striker’s 07/08 contribution to their Champions League win, Liverpool’s star men have put in a considerably more impressive return.

Over the two Champions League seasons in question Ronaldo amassed 17 goals contributions, Rooney 12 and Tevez 8 while Roberto Firmino had 23, Mo Salah had 22 and Sadio Mane had 18.

Liverpool’s third most efficient contributor had one more involvement to his name than United’s most prolific.

Although Fergie’s side did the double, Liverpool claimed Europe’s top prize in 2018/19 and put in an outstanding Premier League points haul of 97, seven more than United’s 08-09 peak with their famous front three in action.

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